Typically, in conventional touch control assemblies, for example, in oven top touch control panels, a separate spring, a separate spacer and often other parts are connected together with a printed circuit board. These assemblies take a significant amount of time and effort to put together. Parts must be properly sized and substantial facility is required for the assembly. The parts and printed circuit board are critical and assembly error can result in damage to the equipment or lessen the life of the appliance in which they are used. Further such parts are not usually interchangeable, and while many fastening systems may be required for a single appliance, separate sub-assemblies are usually required to accomplish the necessary connections.
A fully assembled system is provided by use of the present spring loaded spacer. The spacer is versatile enough to permit modifications such as providing different fix methods for the spring holder, and different spring tensions are available for different sensor pressures. The length of the spring loaded spacer may also be easily varied to accommodate different springs, tensions and required dimensions. Most of all, the novel spring loaded spacer taught by the present invention substantially lessens the time and cost of installation over the cost of providing and assembling traditional components and methods.
By use of a spring loaded spacer embodying the present invention, the head of the device, which may be used to fix it to a printed circuit board with a photolight sensor, can be custom designed to accommodate various hole sizes or other fastening methods. The spacer embodying the present invention has a peripheral ring-like area adjacent its head which can be used to secure a second or other printed circuit board which can hold light and photo sensitive or other components, and may accommodate a variety of board thicknesses; thus, the present spring loaded spacer can securely received several printed circuit boards in spaced apart relation.
A spring loaded spacer embodying the present invention provides uniform and continuous force applied to the printed circuit board or other cover connection, making sure that the components mounted on the board are always in contact with the related part. In such applications, the spring loaded spacer embodying the present inventions acts as a low load shock absorber, and the arrangement of the spring in the part keeps the spring in place and allows for compression as desired.
While the top of the spring loaded spacer embodying the present invention may be removably fixed to a printed circuit board or the like, the bottom of the device is usually connected to and rests upon a chassis or like structure, and may also be used on a clip or a locating pin. The arrangement is sufficiently versatile to permit use of the spacer in almost any environment, i.e. in an electronic device or for automotive or in an appliance or the like. The mounting system for securing the spacer to an underlying surface can be a threaded bolt or a spring washer or a self taping screw or other mounting means, as desired; and such a mounting system can be built into the spring loaded spacer embodying the invention, and fabricated in the same mold.
The device which embodies the present invention consists of a barrel portion having at one end means for connecting it to a chassis or the like and at the other end a shank portion having means for connecting it to a printed circuit board or the like. The shank portion is spring loaded with a coiled compression spring seated within the barrel portion. Arranged on the shank end intended for connection to a printed circuit board or the like are a series of circumferential rings, which may be used to fix one or more printed circuit boards or other components to the spacer. This arrangement permits the barrel portion to have a seat consisting of a snap-in engagement with a chassis or a screw or bolt or other mounting. Likewise the shank end connectable to a printed circuit board or the like may be varied to provide various conventional connections to the printed circuit board or like panel.